Tablet Sales May Register Slow Down in 2015, According to IC Suppliers

The tablet sales growth is expected to slow down next year, according to PC chip suppliers and the main reason is the ascension of large size smartphones. That’s precisely the reason why Apple isn’t launching a new iPad Mini just yet, since it would cannibalize the iPhone 6 Plus or get cannibalized by it.

Anyone who’s handled the Apple phablet knows that it’s big enough to replace a 7 inch slate. Meanwhile, the notebook market has stabilized this year, helped by regular demand and we don’t see any prognosis for decline in its future. Small size tablets are also losing their appeal versus the large size smartphones, said the same sources. Global tablet sales are expected to come in at 260 to 270 million units this year.

New tablet models launched by most vendors still lack new features or applications and prices are falling flat. The number of 3G tablets with phone call features is rising in Asia and meanwhile white box tablet vendors in China have stopped cutting prices, since such pricing strategies don’t stimulate demand anymore. What do you think? Is there still room for growth in this area?

Quality generates growth. With a few exceptions such as the Surface Pro 3, 2014 has been the year of the race to the bottom. Technologies for quality tablets exist, but companies produce for the third world. If they rediscover quality, tablet sales will grow again (because the potential market is not saturated yet).